Sacramento, CA – At an award ceremony held on September 24, the new campus rebuild of Cesar E. Chavez Elementary in the Meadowview neighborhood of South Sacramento was named a Best Real Estate Project of the Year Award winner by the Sacramento Business Journal. Sacramento City Unified shares this honor with project architect Lionakis and co-general contractors Balfour Beatty and Clark Sullivan Construction.
“We are thrilled to be recognized for the incredible work and community and business partnerships that went into this project,” said Chris Ralston, Assistant Superintendent of Facilities. “Here at Sac City Unified we believe that facilities planning is neighborhood planning, and that uplifting our neighborhoods, starts with elevating the conditions of our school facilities.”
The ultramodern Cesar Chavez Elementary campus features an oversized multipurpose room, a STEAM lab, a community room, several shade canopies, a U14 soccer field, and an overall focus on energy efficiency and environmental conservation. The campus was specifically chosen for improvements based on high segregation and poverty indicators and other factors identified by Sac City Unified’s award-winning Facilities Master Plan Equity Index. The equity index identifies the needs of under-resourced, historically marginalized neighborhoods and the student populations identified in the Local Control and Accountability Plan’s (LCAP) goals, using indices established by the Berkeley Opportunity Map and Department of Education’s California School Dashboard.
The project was made possible thanks to the revenue generated from voter support of Measure H in 2020 and Measure D in 2024 to address more than $4-billion dollars in needed improvements and upgrades to Sacramento City Unified schools and facilities.
The site previously consisted of two separate campuses, with Edward Kemble Elementary first being built 63 years ago (1963) as a traditional K-6 Elementary, while Cesar Chavez was added on the adjacent property in 2001 to address an immediate and sharp increase in enrollment. Chavez was created as an all-portable classroom site with little to no outdoor amenities for students such as play structures or open field access. The new campus joins both schools together into a single asset to the entire surrounding community.
Later this Fall, Sacramento City Unified intends to start conversations with our school community about how best to move forward with plans to rename the campus, while continuing to uplift and honor the many contributions of Hispanic and Latino leaders in all walks of life.
Superintendent Cancy McArn (third from left); Chris Ralston, Assistant Superintendent of Facilities (center); SCUSD Trustee Chinua Rhodes (far right) with representatives from SCUSD Facilities Services, project architect Lionakis and co-general contractors Balfour Beatty and Clark Sullivan Construction
Superintendent Cancy McArn (left) with SCUSD Trustee Chinua Rhodes (right)
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